Truss.



' NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALEXANDER SPEIRS, OF WVESTBROOK, MAINE.

TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,381, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed October 15, 1898. Serial No. 693,676. (No model.)

citizen of the United States, residing at West-' brook, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trusses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in trusses, and more particularly to the trusspad and means for holding it.

In the drawings herewith accompanying and making a part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved truss shown as applied to the body, the outline of the body being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a central sectional View passing through the pad-holder and pad; and Fig. 3 is a central sectional View of the same, the pad having its circumference extending beyond the edge of the holder.

Same letters of reference refer to like parts.

In said drawings, A represents a bow of elastic material provided with a strap B, adapted to extend around the body. On either end of the bow are removably secured pad-holding cups 0, having bosses D on the outside concentric therewith. The bosses have holes E, into which the ends of the bows are loosely inserted and on which the pad-cups are designed to rotate. They may be securely held in any desired position by means of set-screws F, passing through the bosses and engaging the ends of the bows and when so engaged preventing the cups from rotation thereon. The cups are circular and of sufficient concavity to hold the pad when inserted therein. The pads G may be of any desired material,

flexible or solid, and they are designed to be held in their cups by the cup itself on one side and contact with the body on the other side. They may be prevented from any tendency to displacement in their cups by reason of their not being positively secured thereto by a circumferential flange I-I, arranged centrally around the pad and adapted to project over the edge I of the cup, as seen in Fig. 2. The same result is attained when the pad is the shape shown in Fig. 3, in which the portion J substantially fits the curvature of the cup and the outer portion extends beyond the circumference thereof.

The advantages of my improved truss are that the pad is held loosely in the cup and may be removed at any time to make place for another, either when the pad becomes unfit for further use or when it is desired to change from a soft pad to a hard pad, or vice versa, thus saving the necessity and expense of a new bow and strap when a change of pads is required. Again, the cup can be adjusted to any angle relative to the bow and be securely locked in the desired position.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim- In a truss, an elastic bow, pad-holders consisting of concave cups secured to the ends of said bows and pads having on one side a configuration adapted to enter and fit said cups and a circumferential flange adapted to extend over and engage the edge of the cup.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 13th day of October, 1898.

ALEXANDER SPEIRS. Witnesses:

ELGIN G. VERRILL, MARION RICHARDS. 

